TURBOMECA Arriel 2D turboshaft engines [Docket No. FAA-2012-0940; Directorate -Identifier 2012-NE-26-AD] – proposes to supersede an existing AD that requires replacing the hydromechanical metering unit (HMU) at a reduced life. Since FAA issued that AD, further cases of deterioration of HMU rotating components have been reported before the HMU reached the replacement interval in that AD. The proposed AD would maintain the existing AD requirements and would also require inspections of the HMU.
There were more than 2,000 exhibitors at last month's Paris air show, and my guess is that at least one-third were involved in metal forming or cutting. And all of these companies depend on “subtractive” manufacturing techniques such as turning, milling and cutting to produce their aerospace parts. It was clear that many senior executives are acutely aware of and talking about the emergence of “additive” manufacturing (AM)—sometimes known as “3-D printing”—as the next major change-and-disruptive technology in aerospace manufacturing.
ITEP Turboshaft A new 3,000-shp engine would reduce specific fuel consumption by 25% while increasing power by 50% in helicopters now powered by General Electric T700 turboshafts. A high priority for the U.S. Army, the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) is planned to get underway this year, with the powerplant expected to be available by 2019. Competing demonstrator engines are already running: General Electric's GE3000 and the Honeywell/Pratt & Whitney HPW3000.
The room was packed and the crowd restive. The men at the front were droning on about inspection times, service bulletins, authorized shops and such. Finally, one fellow in the audience had had enough. He stood up and, as best I recall, said something like, “All that's fine, but you're ignoring the real problem.” And with that he eyed his fellow attendees and said, “All of you who have had an inflight failure, raise a hand.” It seemed like about a third of the room had an arm up.
Switzerland's Solar Impulse may have crossed the U.S. on solar power, but its prototype is far from an everyday aircraft. Proving solar power can be a practical way of flying is the goal of Solar Flight and its Sunseeker Duo, now flying in Italy.
Of the many ways general aviation pilots use to measure and improve their performance, few are as instantly gratifying as the sight of a “bowling pin” on a cross-country flight. VOR (very-high frequency omnidirectional radio range) stations generally look like bowling pins, and crossing directly over one means that the pilot's navigation skills, at least for keeping the needle on the VOR instrument display in the vertical direction, are up to snuff.
Given leaps in computing power and miniaturization, it is inevitable that head-up displays will trickle down the cost ladder from heavy metal flight decks to the light general aviation cockpit. But could a disruptive technology, set in motion by Google Glass and a growing number of smart eyeglass makers, beat the traditional products to the finish line? It is a safe bet that avionics companies are watching closely.
FRANKFURT — China’s AVIC International has bought German aircraft engine manufacturer Thielert in a move that further broadens the group’s general aviation portfolio. Thielert’s insolvency administrator confirmed the deal on July 23, saying the company would be relaunched as Technify Motors, with operations remaining in Germany. Neither side disclosed details about the acquisition cost.
Carbon in its many forms is transforming manufacturing, from electronics to structures. Aerospace uses carbon in fiber form, but new nano-structured materials are emerging that promise improved properties and expanded applications.
Switzerland-based Vertis Aviation has announced that a Bombardier Global 6000 will be added to its growing portfolio of marketed aircraft from 1st August 2013.
An 8% increase in commercial aerospace original equipment sales and a 3% improvement in commercial aftermarket revenues helped Honeywell Aerospace mitigate the adverse effects of an 8% decline in defense and space sales in the second quarter. Despite a 1% decline in overall sales to $3 billion, Honeywell Aerospace posted a 4% year-on-year rise in operating income to $583 million and a 0.9 percentage point gain in segment margin to 19.5%.
Rockwell Collins is benefiting from growing aftermarket demand, particularly in the air transport segment, even as the rise in aircraft retirements cuts into the company’s traditional support opportunities, company executives report. The company posted a 13% jump in commercial aftermarket revenue, from $208 million to $235 million, in the fiscal 2013 third quarter ending June 30. The air transport segment grew 17%, from $109 million to $128 million, on the strength of higher spares sales and retrofits such as cockpit display upgrades, says CEO Clay Jones.
Jet Aviation’s facility in St. Louis was designated as an authorized service center for Embraer’s Lineage business jet. The facility is the first such center in the U.S. for the Lineage. Jet Aviation last week began servicing the first Lineage. The approval comes three months after the St. Louis Center began servicing aircraft in a narrow-body hangar designed specifically for larger airframes. The Lineage also helps continue to expand Jet Aviation’s St. Louis capabilities, which also include the Embraer Legacy business jet.
RICHARD WADE was named operations manager for AeroFlight Solutions, an international flight planning services company. Wade will lead and manage the flight planning and operations team and focus on business growth and client satisfaction. He has more than 30 years of international flight planning experience, including as an international flight coordinator for ARINC and for Tempus Jets, operations manager for Southern Air Transport and Polar Air Cargo and director of operations and fuel for AvCard.
The FAA last week published a rule simplifying drug and alcohol testing program requirements for commercial certificate holders with separate tour operations, eliminating the need to have dedicated testing programs for each. The rule, effective Sept. 14, gives Part 121 and 135 operators the option of having a single testing program to cover both its commercial operations and Part 91 air tour businesses.
PILATUS Models PC-6, PC-6-H1, PC-6-H2, PC-6/350, PC-6/350-H1, PC-6/350-H2, PC-6/A, PC-6/A-H1, PC-6/A-H2, PC-6/B-H2, PC-6/B1-H2, PC-6/B2-H2, PC-6/B2-H4, PC-6/C-H2, and PC-6/C1-H2 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2013-0223; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-049-AD; Amendment 39-17468; AD 2013-11-08] – supersedes AD 2010-0176, which requires the addition of maintenance instructions and airworthiness limitations for the flap actuator, to add more restrictive maintenance requirements and/or limitations.
Delays in certifying software in Garmin’s G3000 and G5000 avionics suites are pushing back certification of three of Cessna’s new or upgraded aircraft – the M2, Sovereign and X – by a few months, Cessna parent Textron reported July 17. The all-new M2, along with the Sovereign and X upgrades, are among six new or upgraded products Cessna had hoped to bring to market this year. But with the software delays, deliveries of the X now will push into early 2014, while the M2 and Sovereign are to come later this year.
FAA published its “residential-through-the-fence” policy, following through on a congressional mandate and easing a ban on agreements that permit pilot access to airport runways and taxiways from adjacent homes. The new policy reverses a March 2011 interim policy that prohibited new through-the-fence access points.
Embraer’s Phenom deliveries are showing signs of improvement, reaching their highest second-quarter total since 2010. At the same time, the Brazilian airframer’s backlog fully rebounded from last year’s slide, coming in at the highest level since third quarter 2009.
FAA has finalized its new first officer qualification rules, opting to give more credit to some flying—including military experience—compared with the draft version of the rule, while staying within the parameters of its congressional mandate.
The ongoing light business jet market malaise and the transition to upgraded Citation Sovereigns and Xs led Cessna to a $50 million second-quarter loss and a more than 50% plunge in business jet deliveries, Cessna parent Textron reported July 17. Cessna further expects this to continue into the third quarter as the market has shown few signs of improvement and avionics software certification delays push deliveries of two new products, the M2 and Sovereign, into the fourth quarter, and the X to next year.
EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND Model BO105C (C-2 and CB-2 Variants) and BO105S (CS-2 and CBS-2 Variants) helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0519; - Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-068-AD] – proposes to require, for helicopters with a certain third-stage turbine wheel installed, installing a placard on the instrument panel and revising the limitations section of the rotorcraft flight manual (RFM).
